


Unrest

by IggyBlue



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Angst, F/M, Intimidation, Potential mental illness trigger, Shenanigans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-05
Updated: 2016-05-05
Packaged: 2018-06-06 13:02:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6755089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IggyBlue/pseuds/IggyBlue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's only after the dust settles that things become real.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Unrest

The first time Bulma came across Vegeta awake during the small of night, she thought nothing of it. Adults go to bed when they like, and he especially wouldn't take too kindly any advice on sleeping habits that she had to offer.

The second time, she had been opening her balcony windows on a stuffy and restless night, beckoning in a cooling breeze to help her sleep. Gazing beyond her windows, she spotted a figure out on the lawn. It was him, again in his old stargazing position lain there on the grass, hands behind head, knees bent. She stepped out onto her balcony, leaning onto the railing and gazing at him. Most often he would stargaze from atop the roof, where he couldn't be seen. But now it was 2:53 and nobody was around to bother him, she supposed.

The third time, she was heading upstairs from her lab when she noticed dim, colourful flickering coming from the darkened living room. Had somebody forgotten to turn off the TV? Though inconsequential, these things bothered her, and she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep knowing there was one task undone.

Hopping back down the stairs, she went to the living room, nearly jumping out of her skin when she found a dark figure sitting on the couch, of a silhouette that looked nothing like either of her parents. When the figure's head cocked toward her, she made out the shape of a flame of hair, and she relaxed.

"Sorry, you frightened me," She explained her tiny seizure, and kept speaking without thought as to who she was speaking to. "What are you doing up?"

Vegeta humphed and crossed his arms over his chest. She took that to mean his usual, 'none of your business'. Whatever reason there was, she wouldn't be able to squeeze from him. She sighed, and padded over to flop down onto the other side of the couch. He was probably irritated that her doing so jostled the couch slightly, but she didn't care to look over and be the subject of another one of his antagonistic glares.

Some science-and-mathematics-in-nature show was on, which piqued her interest. "Oh, cool." She mumbled.

"What are _you_ doing up, then?"

"Huh?" She looked over at him to see he was looking back, surprised that he'd made even the smallest effort to converse with her. "Oh, I just finished up in the lab. There were so many little things to finish, they were driving me crazy."

His eyebrows moved a little in way of understanding, and she continued, stunned out of her usual defensive stance against him. "What time is it? I completely lost track."

"A little after three."

"Oh my God!" She thought over her work, and tried to put together how so much time had passed since she'd disappeared after dinner. "Wow."

He turned back to the TV, and so did she. But with her brain fuzzy from overtiredness, she wasn't able to absorb anything the TV told her. Instead she got up and headed for the kitchen, pantry in mind. When she returned, she had two packets in her hands. Lobbing one at Vegeta, he caught it without thought then looked down at it quizzically.

"Late night snack," She explained, tearing open the wrapper of her own chocolate bar, "From my secret stash." She winked, settling back down on the couch, grabbing a pillow to get comfortable with. Falling asleep in front of the TV was something she hadn't done in a while, not since Yamcha stopped coming around. And there was something nostalgic about it that drew her back into an old habit.

~

Some days later, when Vegeta had stormed into the lab with another demand of Bulma's father, she took the opportunity to look at his face properly under fluorescent light. The deep set of his eyes under furrowed brows were darker than normal, if she hadn't believed him a decent man it might have frightened her. He looked older than she knew he was, and when he finally responded to her staring at him, he snapped at her, more harsh and unkind than was usual. Unfazed, but now confused, she turned back to what she had been doing, content to let him be as her father went to fulfill Vegeta's barking demand.

Vegeta's worsening temper hadn't gone unnoticed by her parents, either. One evening, when eating dinner with them, her mother asked her if something had happened, whether there was some explanation to his increased grumpiness. Indeed, it stumped her as much as them. Her father added offhandedly that Vegeta had been more destructive with his equipment, and more demanding of him to fix things. But, Dr. Briefs continued, his training appeared to be fitful and unproductive. He wasn't spending the hours on end he usually would in there. Something was wrong, they all concluded, and Bulma started putting pieces together in her brain.

Turmoil at home wouldn't stop her from socialising, though. Bulma thought it way overdue for her to go out for a night on the town. Even she needed to blow off steam from time to time, and she figured she'd earned it, what with all the hours she'd been dedicating to her work in the lab. The minutes trickled into hours amidst the evening's fun with some girlfriends, dancing and dining fine amid the colourful buzz of the city. When she'd finally had her fill of recreation for the night, Bulma bid her friends a good night and hailed a taxi. The drive back home would take a short while, and sitting in the backseat the excitement of the evening finally settled over her, laughter ringing in her ears, muscles slightly stiffening already from the heels she'd been wearing. Fun was exhausting.

The city's neon faded into the dim streetlights of her locality, and she was home. Having paid and farewelled the driver, she paused to exhale as she gazed at her front door. She would need to be careful that she didn't come in bellowing lest she wake anyone. She checked her watch. 3:37. She giggled, then walked up the path and entered.

Once she'd kicked off her heels exhaustion came over her, and she stumbled into the living room to collapse on the couch till daybreak roused her from slumber. Passing the doorway she stopped abruptly upon seeing him. He was sat upon the couch again, this time massaging his temples as if he was experiencing a headache. He glanced up. "What do _you_ want."

Taken aback, she responded. "I wanted to crash. I just got home."

"What?" He looked irritated.

"I went out tonight, I'm too tired to go upstairs." She plopped down on the couch, bringing her feet up to get comfortable. He might be a maniac but he was still a guest in her house and this _was_ still her couch.

He huffed with the shadow of a grin, leaning back.

"You're not going to be a gentleman and give me the couch, are you?" She asked sardonically.

This time he did grin. "Nope."

She sighed, her head still buzzing from the night's events. Her muscles were aching increasingly. "Okay, then I'm not going to be a lady and give you your solitude. Too bad." From her peripheries, she could make him out pressing the heel of his palm into his eye socket. She glanced up at him. "You have a headache?"

"No." He growled.

She paused, thinking. "Do you _ever_ sleep?"

He glanced back at her, seemingly in surprise.

"So _that's_ it."

Surprise melted into a sneer. "Oh, you've got me figured out now, do you?"

"Oh, shut up." She flopped back into her pillow. "So how come?"

He made an irritated sound in his throat but didn't answer.

"You do need sleep, I know that much from spending time with Goku."

"I think I _am_ developing a headache now," He said pointedly.

She finally sat up. "We all know there's something wrong." She pointed at his chest. "And that you haven't denied anything means there _is_ something wrong, there is a reason and it's not nothing."

He looked a bit flustered at that, and she let her expression settle into something more friendly than accusatory. "It's okay if you tell me. Maybe I can help."

He huffed again and crossed his arms, but before he could finish the action she went over and pushed an arm away before he could tuck it in. He looked at her, shocked at her audacity.

"Oh stop it! Just talk to me! Tell me what's wrong! Why aren't you sleeping?" She demanded.

"You wouldn't understand even if I did. There's no point."

"Try me." She challenged him.

He eyed her warily, but felt unable to back down. He looked away. As much as he tried to deny it, he knew it was becoming increasingly apparent that he was tired, so incredibly tired. "I have dreams. They're bothersome. So I don't sleep. There, happy?"

"You don't sleep to avoid your dreams?"

"What did I just say?"

"It's just... a bit abnormal." She leaned back a little, unsure of how to proceed. "Unpleasant dreams, right?"

He didn't deny it, neither did he respond at all.

"You can't expect me to understand if you're that vague on detail."

"What do you want, then?" He growled, rubbing a temple again.

"Will you tell me what these dreams are about?"

"No."

She expected that. "Are they recurring? Similar themes?"

"Somewhat."

"Do they wake you up?"

He hesitated. "Yes."

"Hmm. Are they accompanied by any physical symptoms? Sweating, heart palpitations?"

He gave a half-hearted shrug, still looking away. She took that to mean yes, and pressed further. "Can you get back to sleep after this happens?"

"No."

She thought for a moment, tapping her chin with an idle finger. She had an inkling. "Did you experience this before coming here? To earth, I mean."

He paused as if realising something. "No, I didn't. Only started recently."

"I see."

He raised an eyebrow at her. Damn she was good. "So, what? Is this something humans have?"

"Well," She started, still thinking as she spoke, "It could be a whole bunch of things. I'll have you in the lab one day and I'll do a proper examination, that'll help me get a better idea of what's going on."

"Humph."

"Look, I've..." She looked to the side, "I've heard some stuff about your past. And I kind of get it. I think," She glanced at him to gauge his anger level, he was only simmering, and was seemingly attentive to her words, so she continued, "I think you've probably spent the majority of your life in fight or flight mode, no wonder your nerves are fried." 

He didn't comprehend some of the terms she'd just said, but didn't say anything.

She was feeling the beginning tendrils of empathy for the asshole. "You know what, I think I might go upstairs after all."

The set of his shoulders loosened a bit and he relaxed back into the couch. She took it as an offense.

"You really hate me that much? Geez." She said with a touch of humour in her voice. She got up. "Well, good ni-" She paused. "See you in the mo-" Her hands fell to her hips. "Hmm."

"Go away already!" He snapped at her, and soft laughter fluttered from her lips.

"Okay buddy. Don't have an aneurysm." She stepped over into the hallway, her voice fading as she went on talking to herself as she ascended the staircase. "Deep breaths, one to ten, one, two, three, four... fuhhh... calm blue ocean..."

Vegeta had seen the line between genius and madness many times before, and once again he recognised its familiar slopes.

-

_Bang! Crack!_ Bulma jumped up as she heard what sounded like an explosion, and a roar of fury. Sprinting out, she exhaled in relief to find the gravity room intact. But now knowing she'd heard his bellow through several doors was worrying. She walked up the slope and initiated the override.

When the door opened she found him standing there, muscles bulging, teeth bared in a snarl at some invisible foe. Sweat was pouring down his body and he was breathing harshly. He looked over at her, and for a moment he looked like some kind of predatory beast ready to pounce.

She stepped forward gingerly. He was usually grouchy, but livid pushed the boundaries of what was normal to see in him. "Vegeta," She started gently, meekly, "Are you alright? Is something wrong?"

She recoiled as he roared ferociously again, unintelligible, furious. "Would you take a short break and come down to the lab with me?" He seemed to be _in_ something, and she wanted to snap him out of it. "Please? I need your help."

For a moment he looked confused, but he turned away, breathing still heavy and noisy in the following silence. She stepped toward him cautiously and rounded him to see a faraway look in his eyes. Without thinking, she went to lay a soft hand on his bicep. Before she knew it was happening, he'd pulled back and dropped into a defensive stance. "GET BACK!" He exploded.

She stumbled back, holding out her hands before her in an attempt to negotiate peace with him. "It's okay, I won't do anything." He wasn't looking at her, eyes frantically skipping here and there.

"Vegeta." She started again. "Let's get out of here." She indicated toward the door with her head, and his pupils seemed to focus. He looked at her properly and seemed to come back into himself. "What?"

"Come on." She waved toward the door and led him outside. Closing the door behind them, she led him out of the garden and into a private study near her lab. Having him sit on the desk, she went and sat in front of him. "You with me?" She ducked in an attempt to meet his eyes. They were glazed.

"Yeah." He grumbled.

"What happened there?"

"It's been happening more and more." He began, hands coming up to rub his face.

"What's been happening?" She pressed delicately.

"I... see it all again." He looked to the side, hands sliding around his neck. He seemed incredibly agitated.

"You see things that happened before?"

"Yes."

"Okay." She spoke softly, trying to calm him. "Okay, we'll figure this out."

His face unchanged as he looked away, he seemed unconvinced.

"I promise. It'll be okay." Though he'd become more himself, the sweat glistening over thrumming, bulging muscles told her to be careful. Her heart pounded in her chest as she stepped closer to him. The man was dangerous and she was getting into his personal space.

Having previously gathered a few personal supplies and a clipboard, she produced a stethoscope from a bag and tentatively pressed it to his broad back, listening intently with an eye on her watch. Then, moving to his front, she even more cautiously listened to his heartbeat from his front side. His face was dangerously close, she felt wary as if he were some wild animal ready to devour her. He sneered after a moment, and she jumped then felt and heard a deep rumble coming from underneath her fingertips and vibrating in her ears.  
"Here's one for your records," He said, grinning almost wickedly. She stood back and self-consciously noted down her findings. He continued, "Saiyans have a very keen sense of smell."

She grabbed a tiny light and went to shine it in his eye, pretending to be unaffected by how intimidating he was. Her hands were shaking but she anchored them still, using a finger to pull Vegeta's eyelid up slightly, peering into his pupil with the light.

"I can smell your fear."

She gasped, jumping back. Her heart was hammering in her chest now, and the tremble in her arms grew. She waited for him to continue, but he just kept sitting there, grinning at her. "You can continue, woman. I won't do anything."

Taking a few calming breaths, she went and looked in his other eye. Now she noticed his eyes were rather bloodshot, and his pupils constricted. Coupled with his words he was seriously freaking her out.

She went back to her notes, scribbling down into it and looking through a few other pages.

"Well?"

She looked up. "I... have an idea..."

"What is it?!"

"I- I'm not sure if it is..."

He slammed a fist down next to him. "Enough with this nonsense! Tell me!"

"I think you have PTSD!" She blurted out.

He stood up, his expression demanding more information.

"It - it stands for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. It's a condition where an event or series of events harms a person's psyche, it often presents as flashbacks, severe anxiety, or, as you experience, nightmares. Often it's a mix of these symptoms among others. It can't be cured but can be managed with some medications and various therapies." The words streamed out in lieu of pleading to be spared, her arms tight against her body and every muscle tense.

He stood there, looking at a spot near his feet. A long silence stretched out before he finally spoke.

"You think you know me." He said darkly, and a chill went down Bulma's spine. Suddenly she was reminded of their encounter on Namek.

"No, I don't-"

"You're a puny little human, and you presume to understand."

"I can't possibly! But I want to try!"

" **Why?!** " He demanded.

She gulped, frightened. Her voice was small as she spoke. "I like you. I think you're interesting."

His glare was fixed on her and she felt compelled to continue, to explain herself. "You're like nobody I've ever met." The more she thought about it, her enthusiasm for learning took over. "You're absolutely unique. You're probably the most complex person I've come across, and that's intriguing. Where you've come from, where you've been, what you are... I'm _sure_ nobody is like you. Nobody understands you. But I want to."

As she looked up, his expression was threatening as he approached her, and she cowered into herself. This was it, she'd finally gone too far. He loomed closer, steps sure. He seized her arms and she squeaked in fear.

And then he took her mouth to his.

**Author's Note:**

> Just a Vegebul that had been sitting in my drafts. I'm not really feeling that pairing any more. Kakavege rise!


End file.
